Related Links

Cape Town - A top cop in the Western Cape says senior police officers in the province are working against him and effectively trying to frame him for setting up one of the most sensational underworld killings in 2016.

Major-General Jeremy Vearey has told News24 that he is aware of senior colleagues peddling "rumours" that he, together with an alleged gang boss, orchestrated the murder of Nathaniel "Nigger" Moses, the suspected head of a faction of hitmen.

"This is another attempt by certain senior officers within the SA Police Service, in collusion with a 28s gangster, to discredit me," he said.

Police spokesperson Noloyiso Rwexana said on Tuesday the provincial office will not comment on rumours.

Vearey's accusations have exposed major rifts within the Western Cape's top tier of policing.

He has also taken a swipe at national police, saying he does not understand why he was never briefed on the outcome of a previous high-level investigation into similar claims made about him.

Other police officers in the province have spoken to News24, on condition of anonymity, about divisions within the provincial police and between certain national police leaders and those in the Western Cape.

They said a number of officers who have been deployed in the Western Cape have a particular political agenda and that efforts are being made to side-line certain officers.

Vearey, along with Major-General Peter Jacobs, is taking on police management in court after the two were moved to different positions which they believe were effectively demotions.

In 2016, Vearey, who was deputy provincial commissioner for detective services, was suddenly shifted to a position he previously filled, commander of the Cape Town cluster of police stations, while Jacobs, who headed the province's crime intelligence unit, was appointed Wynberg cluster commander.

Allegations of Vearey being implicated in the Moses murder first emerged in April when an affidavit by a now-jailed self-styled whistleblower, Sylvano Hendricks, a transgender woman who calls herself Queeny Madikizela-Malema, surfaced.

The affidavit, drawn up in community safety MEC Dan Plato's office and which sparked claims of a smear campaign against Vearey; alleged that Vearey worked with a suspected gang boss in the Moses murder. Plato denied the smear campaign allegations.

Moses was the leader of a faction of the 28s gang called The Mobsters.

Retaliation shootings

Sources told News24 The Mobsters had carried out hits for 28s gang kingpin George "Geweld" Thomas who in 2015 was sentenced to seven life terms in jail.

On January 15, 2016 two gunmen walked up to Moses, who was parked outside a car rental dealership in Main Road, Strand, and shot him at least six times in the head.

The killing is believed to have sparked several retaliation shootings.

No arrests were made for Moses' murder and police say it is still under investigation.

Vearey told News24 that among the new "rumours" being peddled, which he said also emanated from Hendricks, was that he had planned the killing with an alleged gang boss.

"After the incident happened, I [according to the information being peddled] took the keys of the hired car [Moses was in] to a colonel," he said.

No comment on action against rumours

Vearey named a senior police officer as being the driving force in spreading the information.

He said Hendricks has made similar allegations about him relating to the same issues before.

"This resulted in nothing," Vearey said.

He was not yet prepared to comment on whether he would take action against the officers he believed were targeting him in the matter.

In April 2016, the initial claims linking Vearey to crime, which he spoke out about and which appeared in the media, led to a meeting with Police Minister Nathi Nhleko and Acting National Commissioner Khomotso Phahlane.

At the time Vearey and Plato, who Vearey accused or running a smear campaign to tarnish his reputation, agreed they would no longer discuss the matter in public.

In May 2016, Vearey had been encouraged to lodge a complaint with Phahlane about Hendricks' claims implicating him in crime.

Vearey said in June 2016 the investigation into this had been completed, but he was yet to receive a report into it.

"I find it problematic," he said.

Whistleblower's gang links

News24 understands the fresh allegations made against Vearey are being taken seriously by police and a policing head visited the source of the information in jail.

In December 2016 Hendricks, who has links to the 26s and 28s gangs, was arrested for breaking her parole conditions.

Hendricks, who earlier in 2016 told former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela that a Cape Town gangster had been paid R740 000 to have her killed, was previously sentenced to 12 years in jail for various crimes, including making a bomb threat to then Public Protector Lawrence Mushwana.

She was arrested in December for failing to tell the Department of Correctional Services of a change in her address which led to department officials not being able to monitor her.

The regional department of correctional services referred queries to police.

National police were expected to respond to News24 queries later on Tuesday.

Tell us a bit about yourself:

Saving your profile

Settings

News24 allows you to edit the display of certain components based on a location.
If you wish to personalise the page based on your preferences, please select a
location for each component and click "Submit" in order for the changes to
take affect.

Your Location*

Weather*

Always remember my setting

Saving your settings

Facebook Sign-In

Hi News addict,

Join the News24 Community to be involved in breaking the news.

Log in with Facebook to comment and personalise news, weather and listings.